Archives for October 2013

Permanent Representative of Afghanistan, Dr. Zahir Tanin, has been re-appointed as Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council reform. Â This is the sixth consecutive session of the General Assembly for which Ambassador Tanin will assume this position, following his initial appointment as Chair in 2008. The appointment was announced by H.E. Dr. John Ashe, President of the 68th Session of the General Assembly, in a letter to all Permanent Representatives to the United Nations in New York.

The President of the General Assembly also appointed an advisory group comprised of the Permanent Representatives of Belgium, Brazil, Liechtenstein, Papua New Guinea, San Marino and Sierra Leone who have been tasked with producing a basis to further the Intergovernmental Negotiations.

The Intergovernmental Negotiations, which were launched in February 2009, have included eight rounds of discussions and other meetings chaired by Ambassador Tanin. Since their inception, the negotiations have produced notable achievements, including a move to text-based negotiations.Â This established a foundation for more fruitful interactions aimed at reaching an outcome that could garner the widest possible political acceptance. Although Member States are not yet united in their approaches to reform the Council, the eighth round of negotiations showed real prospect for greater give and take within the process.

With his re-appointment, Ambassador Tanin hopes to generate a greater impetus towards the convergence of member state positions, in furtherance of the agreed goal to achieve early reform of the Security Council.

In addition to his chairmanship of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council reform, Ambassador Tanin will also serve as Chair-Designate to the Fifth Biennial Meeting of States to consider the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects (BMS5), scheduled for June 2014.This issue has far reaching consequences across the globe and is of great importance to many Member States. In his capacity as Chair-Designate, Ambassador Tanin will engage in active consultations with all Member States to ensure a successful outcome of BMS5, building on the progress made in recent years on the implementation of the Programme of Action.

Appointment to these important positions highlights the strengthened position of Afghanistan within the international community and re-enforces its role as an active and respected member of the United Nations.

To begin, I congratulate you on your election as Chairman of the First Committee. We wish you and the members of the Bureau every success leading the work of our Committee, and assure you of our full support and cooperation.

The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan associates itself with the statement delivered on behalf of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). I wish to make the following observations in my national capacity:

Afghanistan reiterates its full commitment to multilateral diplomacy, an important principle for advancing disarmament, international security, and nonproliferation. We believe the global goal on arms control, arms reduction, and the full eradication of weapons of mass destruction will only be realized with strong, collective political will.

Since 2001, we witnessed a number of developments that provide the foundation for effective arms-control, arms reduction, and non-proliferation. Twelve years ago, the General Assembly adopted the UN Program of Action on small arms and light weapons (POA). In 2005, the GA adopted the International Tracing Instrument (ITI), an important development to the curtailment of illegal weapons munitions. And most recently, the GA adopted the Arms-Trade Treaty (ATT) to regulate international trade in conventional arms.

Mr. Chairman,

Afghanistan welcomes the outcome of the High-Level meeting of the General Assembly on Nuclear Disarmament on the 26thÂ September. That landmark event was an affirmation of the international communityâ€™s collective desire to achieve a world free of any type of nuclear weapons.

Afghanistan supports, unequivocally, all initiatives in the sphere of nuclear disarmament.Â Consistent with a core pillar of our foreign policy, we are fully committed to realizing a nuclear weapons free zone in Asia, and other parts of the world. In this regard, we are party to several treaties and conventions dealing with nuclear weapons and non-proliferation. These include the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). And we are in the process of strengthening our non-proliferation and disarmament legal framework.

Mr. Chairman,

Since the fall of the Taliban regime, the government of Afghanistan initiated several measures at the national level to combat the production and trafficking of substances that may be used to make chemical and biological weapons, based on our international commitments.Â In 2010 President Karzai issued a decree which prohibited the import, export and transport of ammonium nitrate.Â It is important that Afghanistan is supported at the regional and international level for its efforts in this regard.

Mr. Chairman,

Afghanistan fully supports the Program of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects.Â The adoption of the outcome document at the conclusion of the 2nd Review Conference last year presents an effective framework for concrete action to implement the Program of Action.

Looking forward, more work remains, particularly in the area of illegal arms tracing.Â Greater cooperation and collaboration is necessary. Many states lack sufficient capacity to exert effective control of illicit arms within their borders.Â Speaking from our experience, we can attest that terroristsâ€™ access to illegal small arms and light weapons has fueled the cycle of violence in Afghanistan and our region.

Having experienced close to three decades of armed conflict, Afghanistan has been one of the main victims of small arms and light weapons. During this period, millions of illegal arms and light weapons were imported or trafficked into our territory. Â Such weapons are responsible for killing and injuring hundreds of thousands of Afghans.

Mr. Chairman,

Over the past twelve years, Afghanistan registered important progress in the area of disarmament. We implemented our security sector reform (SSR), which focused on the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of combatants (DDR), and the disbandment of illegal armed groups (DIAG). Through this initiative, we collected thousands of small arms and light weapons, and millions of munitions, which were deposited with the security institutions of our country.

Mr. Chairman,

No state has been as affected by the use of landmines as Afghanistan during the past three-decades. Over a million people lost their lives or were disabled as a result of landmines, and this widespread destruction and loss of life continues today. Moreover, at present, armed militant groups still use mines to threaten stability, safety, and development in Afghanistan. In 2012 and the first six months of 2013, approximately 3000 people were killed or injured by landmines. The continued use of these weapons by the Taliban is very serious and concerning, and threatens the development and prosperity in the lives of Afghans.

We are working to achieve our Mine Action Program, and have made important progress in this regard.Â We are striving to become mine-free by 2023.Â That said, we face financial constraints in implementing our Mine Action Program. The government of Afghanistan appeals to the international community to pledge financial assistance to help us achieve our goal of a mine free Afghanistan.

Mr. Chairman,

During the last 5 years, the IEDs used by the Taliban and other armed anti-government groups have posed a major threat to the security and stability of our country.Â They have caused an overwhelming loss of life of ordinary civilians, as well as Afghan and international security forces. Much of the precursors, substances and materials used for these bombs are trafficked into Afghanistan. This must be stopped, and we call on our international and regional partners to support us in this regard.

Mr. Chairman,

Afghanistan is fully committed to the eradication of cluster munitions, and ratified the Oslo Convention on Cluster Munitions in September of 2011. With the destruction of 546 different munitions in 2012, Afghanistan is pleased to have destroyed all weaponry of this kind within its military stockpile. We are fully committed to the provisions of the convention on cluster munitions.

At the outset, allow me to thank the Secretary General for his comprehensive report on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which is a helpful prelude to this important debate.

Todayâ€™s debate is particularly relevant to my country, Afghanistan.Â Just 12 years ago, women in Afghanistan were prohibited from going to school, they were confined to their homes, and they were not allowed a voice in the public sphere.Â Yet since 2001, the government has been fully committed to enabling women to regain their historic roles as proactive citizens in Afghan society.

Mr. Chairman,

We have made tremendous progress since the collapse of the Taliban. In 2001, 5000 girls were enrolled in school in Afghanistan.Â Now around 3 million girls are enrolled in schools across the country. Since 2001, the number of female lecturers in Afghanistanâ€™s universities has increased by 15 percent; the number of female teachers in schools has increased 31 percent; and womenâ€™s presence in different levels of government offices has increased up to 25 percent.

Equality of men and women is enshrined in our constitution, and the advancement of women is marked as the responsibility of the state. Â Â Afghanistan is in the top 30 countries of the world with the highest representation of women in the Parliament. These developments towards greater empowerment of women are among our proudest achievements of the past 12 years.

Mr. Chairman,

My government is committed to gender equality and the empowerment of all Afghan women. Their role and participation in the countryâ€™s development and political institutions is essential to Afghanistanâ€™s future.Â Our national policies exemplify this commitment: gender is a central component of Afghanistanâ€™s National Development Strategy (ANDS), which affirms equality in all aspects for women.Â The ANDS includes specific benchmarks for advancing gender equality including increased participation of women in state and non-state activities and the provision of legal privileges for women.

The National Action Plan for Women in Afghanistan (NAPWA) is the main vehicle for government implementation of gender commitments in the Afghan National Development Strategy, the Constitution, the MDGs, the Afghanistan compact and other national and international policy instruments on women.Â Through my countryâ€™s transformation decade (2015-2025), NAPWA will pursue a number of ambitious objectives including promoting womenâ€™s participation in government entities, reducing illiteracy, ensuring equal pay for equal work, lowering maternal mortality, and providing greater economic opportunities to women.

In addition, Afghanistan is pursuing the vigorous implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 to ensure that women are meaningfully represented in peace, security, and conflict resolution efforts.Â In this regard, women continue to play a role in Afghan peace talks, including through participation in the High Peace Council.Â Women are also among the ranks of security and police forces in the country.

I gratefully note the International Communityâ€™s tremendous support of womenâ€™s empowerment in Afghanistan, and of our plans towards womenâ€™s advancement.Â This support has been consistent over the past twelve years, and is clearly demonstrated by the outcome document of the Tokyo Conference of July 2012, bilateral and multilateral agreements, and support through various programs and donor agencies.

Mr. Chairman,

The challenges we face in our endeavours towards the advancement of women in the country are towering.Â Numerous realities of our country prevent women from realizing full equality including poverty, low levels of education, and unfamiliarity with related laws in remote and rural areas. Most significantly, women are amongst the most vulnerable as a result of three decades of war and insecurity.

We note with profound regret the killings and brutality against many women and girls including women activists, NGO workers, police officers and even a member of the Parliament.Â Anti-government elements target these brave women who are working towards the betterment of my country.Â Let me emphasize that violence against women is an intolerable breach of human rights, and our government condemns it absolutely. For this reason, peace and reconciliation is crucial for Afghan women and girls to further consolidate achievements made for their rights over the past several years.

Mr. Chairman,

In the lead up to presidential and provincial elections, women are playing important roles in the political life of the country, in parliament, in civil society, and in the upcoming elections.

Last week an Independent Election Commission spokesman noted that 237 women had submitted their names for provincial elections.Â There are currently 8 female vice presidential candidates and one presidential candidate.

In closing, I want to emphasize how far my country has come since the dark days of the 1990s, and how many rights weâ€™ve won for women since.Â We must see our progress in this perspective.Â We thank the international community for their continued support of our efforts for the women of our country and their rights. For our part, we remain fundamentally committed to the advancement of womenâ€™s rights, and we will work to ensure the full empowerment of women.